


Hunted Down

by skycloud86



Category: 24 (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:08:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28915107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skycloud86/pseuds/skycloud86
Summary: "I'm making sure you can't come after me, Jack. I mean, did you think I would just let you do all the hunting?"
Relationships: Jack Bauer/Nina Myers





	Hunted Down

It had been a couple of months since she had been exiled from the United States, but Nina Myers was hours away from returning. Travelling under the name Sarah Berkeley, she had first made her way from Algiers to Mexico City, where she had stayed for some days before making the journey north, crossing into the US via New Mexico.

Nina knew her strengths and weaknesses, especially when it came to Jack. Whilst he wasn't the biggest of men, she was definitely small even for a woman, so physical strength was not on her side. Intelligence certainly was, though - Jack was very smart, but he had always admired her superior intellect and it was something that had attracted him to her - and of course, so was the element of surprise.

Parking the rental car not too far from where Jack lived, she looked around as if expecting federal agents to suddenly come rushing towards her, but the only other living being she saw was a skittish cat that fled into the shadows. Checking the address she had, she gazed up at Jack's apartment and wondered what he was doing at that exact moment.

She had been watching his apartment windows for a while, just gazing up at the faint streak of light between the curtains. Suddenly, the light vanished, and Nina knew that it would soon be time for them to be reunited. She continued to gaze up at the darkened windows until it was time to move.

Crossing the street and walking up to the entrance doors of the block, she was both surprised and relieved to see that it wasn't a locked door. She had a way of getting past such doors, of course, but she had assumed that Jack would prefer that little bit of extra security. Silently climbing the stairs, she found herself counting each step in her mind as if to keep herself calm.

Picking the lock was easy, although she was anxious not to be seen by anyone. Not just because she was clearly breaking into an apartment, but because if the authorities knew she was back in the country, they were under orders to shoot on sight. A smile grew on her face as she heard the lock surrender, and she began to very carefully open the door.

Making her way slowly through the darkened apartment, she used the sounds of Jack's quiet snoring to identify the bedroom. If he was anything like he was when they were together, he would be sleeping with a gun under his pillow. She wondered if he had done that when at home with his family.

She stood at the bedroom door and watched him sleep for a few moments, resisting the urge she had to just climb in beside him. Doing such a thing would be suicide, but if she could just experience what she once had with him, if only for a few seconds, maybe it would be worth it. Dismissing the thought entirely, she slowly pulled out the tranq gun she had with her, before slowly making her way closer to the bed. Pushing the sheet down softly to expose more of his body, she wasted no time in sedating him and, as the needle punctured his arm, she was sure he knew exactly who it was.

Quickly making sure he was restrained, she sat down on a nearby chair and sighed with relief. Nina had been anxious about this part, if she had messed it up, he could easily have overpowered her. An image of her lying on the floor, his hands crushing her throat, came into her mind before she quickly dismissed it. Pulling out her gun, she screwed a silencer onto it and waited for Jack to wake up.

She was sitting on a chair next to the bed as he woke up, his hands cuffed to the headboard and a gag stuffed firmly into his mouth. The look in his eyes as he saw her moved from shock to anger, and for a moment Nina wondered if the cuffs would be enough to keep him from attacking her. Watching in amusement as he struggled to free himself until it looked like he had given up, she took hold of the gag and quickly pulled it out.

"Hello again, Jack," she spoke, a superior smile growing on her face, much like the one back in the interrogation room all those months ago. She had deliberately pushed him, although this time there was no chance of him getting his hands around her neck.

"What are you doing here, Nina?" Jack asked, his voice low and threatening, his eyes never leaving her face. He tried to calm himself down, reasoning that anger wasn't going to help him.

"I'm making sure you can't come after me, Jack. I mean, did you think I would just let you do all the hunting?" Nina replied, smirking. When he had whispered those words to her that day, she had been shocked, but she wasn't surprised. She knew him, and she didn't need to be told that he wasn't going to just let her go. Of course, that meant she needed to get him before he got her, and she was close to doing just that.

"Even if you kill me, you still need to get out of the country. Even if you manage that, they'll consider you a suspect," Jack told her, even though he was just stating what was already obvious to her. He wondered if he could convince her to not kill him, but he knew that she wouldn't be taking this risk if she didn't feel the need to.

"I have a way out of here, Jack, and even if they do consider me a suspect, I'll be sure to keep an eye out for them. They won't be the only ones looking to get rid of me," Nina replied, and Jack could sense something in her voice and eyes. Was it sadness? Regret? He wondered if she ever did feel regret or remorse for her actions, although it likely was only for herself and not for those who she killed or whose lives she destroyed.

She had placed the barrel of the gun against his forehead, her eyes now trying not to make contact with his just in case. One bullet would be all that was needed, but her finger seemed unwilling to press against the trigger.

"If you're going to kill me, do it," Jack whispered, his own eyes gazing across the room. He comforted himself by the thought that whilst his death would devastate Kim, especially as it would come only a few years after her mother's murder, at least the ties would finally be cut and she would no longer be in danger because of his job.

Nina watched him as he thought hard. She guessed that he was thinking of his daughter, of how she would be affected by his death. Of course, whilst she knew Jack dying would hurt Kim, she had no intention of going after Kim - her only target was Jack and once this was done, she would avoid Los Angeles as much as she could. Realising that she had been stood holding her gun against his head for a while, she got out of her head and returned to the room.

"Goodbye, Jack," she spoke, and both were surprised by the sadness in her voice. Of course, Nina would have preferred to not risk being caught in the United States, and she would have been happy to leave Jack Bauer alive, but she had determined that this was in her best interests and so it had to happen.

The shot, muffled by the silencer, was straight into his forehead, and Nina could see the life flee from his eyes as the bullet tore into his brain. She felt her legs crumble before she fell back onto the chair and a brief feeling of regret made itself known. For what seemed like hours, she sat there in silence before she slowly stood back up. Gently closing his eyes, Nina took one last look at Jack Bauer before leaving the room.

As she drove away from the area, she was surprised to feel tears in her eyes, tears that ran down her pale cheeks. Wiping her eyes dry, she knew who she was crying for. Not just the Jack she had loved, but also the Nina she had once been. She had never allowed herself to be fully immersed in that beautiful facade, and she knew that it could never have lasted, but she really had loved him.


End file.
